


The Pet-sitter

by Shibakamiko



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asocial Noctis, Attempt at Humor, Cats, Employee Ignis Scientia, Fluff, I have no idea where this is going, Lunafreya the Matchmaker, M/M, Mentioned Ravus Nox Fleuret, Minor Lunafreya Nox Fleuret/Aranea Highwind, Pet Sitting, Prompto is totally an extravert, Student Noctis Lucis Caelum, Will edit the tags as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2020-10-25 23:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20732741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shibakamiko/pseuds/Shibakamiko
Summary: On one side, Ignis was a busy man, way too busy to care for three devilish cats. On the other side, Noctis loved animals but had neither the money nor the possibility to keep one at home. One an employee in a big company, the other a simple student. Nothing should have brought them together... except two meddling best friends, an unexpected occasion, some mischievous felines, and a growing feeling that seemed terrifyingly close to... love??





	1. One of life’s many coincidences

**Author's Note:**

> So one of my acquaintances was cat-sitting the other day... and I dunno what kind of process went through my head, but that fic started to take shape, and... it had been clawing at my chest trying to get out like a freaking alien since then XD. Soooo here ya go!  
Fair warning: this fic can go anyway, fluffy, angsty, I haven't really decided yet; but there will be romance, potentially smut, and potentially tickles somewhere in there~ If you know me you shouldn't even be surprised lol. Of course, I will edit both rating and tags accordingly, when need will arise.  
Also some more kudos, to Alaska_Lil_Sis! Who was such a wonderful Ignis to my Noctis during my old roleplaying days, and gave me so many ideas on how to write our dear Specs <3

For the umpteenth time, Ignis looked at the digits on his paper.  
So many of them, on so many lines, each with their own complications… and he had to be done with all of it for a meeting planned in three days. Heavens, how could a single human being handle so many variables in such a short amount of time?  
Granted, he chose that job. After years of studying mathematics, graduating university as valedictorian, it seemed like a logical continuation for him to apply to an accountant position for Lucis Internationals, the biggest trading company around no less, with thousands of employees, overseas branches in basically half of the world, and a turnover that could only be counted in billions. He even ended up being promoted a little two years after joining the company, becoming the youngest chief accounting officer ever seen between these walls. A real success story. And he felt proud of that, proud of how far he went and how well he was doing so far, but… well… such an important position, he realized belatedly, came with some unexpected downsides too.  
Numbers didn’t lie. Numbers didn’t fake. Numbers were the one stable thing in this universe. You could always rely on the numbers as an unmovable truth. That was what he thought all his life, and why he loved math that much – to a highly unconceivable amount for any outside eye. But, all along his studies, he had dealt with mostly meaningless digits. Once these numbers began connecting to something tangible… if they represented, say, people for example… people you met in the corridors, people you saw at the canteen, people with a life, a family to care for… in these circumstances, keeping an objective stance and sticking to mere calculation proved to be incredibly difficult.  
His eyebrows furrowed in further annoyance, creasing his forehead, as he went through the whole sheet again. No… no use denying it, he got everything right. As always. They lacked a million somewhere… a million that would need to be retrieved, one way or another. Through dismissals or budget cuts… the only two options he could work on, and of course, the ones that always made others yell the loudest.  
A quiet sigh passed his lips, as he slipped a hand beneath glasses to rub his tired eyes. Troublesome week incoming, he could feel it… 

“Oh, stop making that face, you’ll get wrinkles!”

Only one person talked to him in such a cheerful voice here. Ignis found himself smiling before he even lifted his head.

“Lunafreya…”

How she had changed, during the years they spent walking their separate way... from the young teenager he befriended in high school, to the beautiful lady in a white suit who know leaned over his desk with playfully sparkling eyes. Life could be full of surprises… and pleasant ones sometimes.

“Free from duties already?”

She made a shy little grimace, half-hidden behind one well-manicured hand. “For today, yes, and I don’t know which god to thank for that. You can’t even begin to imagine how hard it was to explain that last business plan to all these grumpy stockholders…”

Ah… indeed, that was a domain he had no knowledge of. Her studies granted her the leading position in the department of public relations, and he always thought the job was made for her. She loved people, she had more patience than anyone else he knew of, and she definitely had a knack for relational matters.

“You did perfect again, I’m sure.” he said, meaning every word.

But Lunafreya simply smiled, expression neutral. “We’ll see about that during the upcoming meeting. How are things progressing on your side?”

This time, it was his turn to grimace. “Horribly.”

“That bad?” she seemed to ponder for a second. Her eyes briefly taking in the number-covered papers he held. Then she sighed, and placed both hands over the files. Forcing Ignis to lower them to his desk. “Look, you have three days, right? Anything can happen during that time. Do not overwork yourself until you have no other choice.”

She made a gesture, encouraging him to embrace the office around them. A mostly empty office by now. Only a couple other employees remained, seemingly enraptured by the blue light of their computer screen; everyone else had left to return to their home and family.  
Though Ignis had no family waiting for him, he couldn’t deny feeling a severe urge to come back to his cats and lay down on the couch with them. A quick glance at his watch. 8 pm… dear lord, did he really spend twelve hours here, on the same calculations? And two days in a row this week, too. Plus the whole previous week, and four days of the one before. The poor fluff-balls must feel abandoned… all alone in his apartment, all day, with no one to play with, no one to give them attention or caresses…

“… you have a point.”

Thinking about the felines made him feel like the world’s most incompetent father. Who would leave their children unattended like this? Because they _were_ his children, he couldn’t see them any other way – and it wasn’t as if he intended to have human ones one day anyway. Not with his… natural choices in term of partners. And besides, if people looked around with a clear mind, they wouldn’t want to throw children into the world they lived in; even much less into the world to come.  
Finally, that thought made him let go of his papers. Getting up from his chair, and turning his computer off – he didn’t use it much, it was practical, yes, but somehow he always trusted his own pencil better. Old habit. His bag was produced from the nearest drawer, and he began stuffing his files and personal belongings inside. Yes… sometimes it was good to lift your head, take a deep breath, and decide you wanted to enjoy the here and now. Tonight he would cuddle the cats, period.

His friend remained there, patiently waiting for him. Her back straight, her hands calmly wrapped around the strap of her leather handbag.

“You worry about your pets, don’t you.” That wasn’t even formulated as a question; she knew the answer already. And understood, too, having two dogs herself whom she cherished with all her heart. “I thought you hired a pet-sitter to care for them?”

Ignis shook his head. He did, actually, but…

“That person wasn’t… up to the task.” Much like any other pet-sitter he got in touch with. Somehow it seemed like no one knew how to handle his cats, except himself… and that was both a cause of pride and of incessant concern.  
“Oh.” was all she commented. “Well…” she began slowly swaying left and right, a tiny habit she kept from her younger days, he noticed. “Someone came to look after my dogs last week. A student apparently. A bit shy, but he did a wonderful job. If you want, I can give you his number? Pryna and Umbra seemed to like him a lot, and from what I can tell, he knows what he’s doing.”  
“Oh really?” The man tried to keep a casual expression, but he couldn’t entirely erase the tiny smile curving his lips. _Oh, Luna… your dogs might be perfect little angels, but I have spawns of Satan at home. So unless the kid you hired comes in a full plate armor, I doubt he will last long.  
_ “Yes…” she continued, still swaying. She didn’t seem to have noticed the teasing behind his words, or she chose to ignore it. Though a knowing grin now graced her features as she looked at him. “And, between you and me…” she added, in a whisper, “he’s pretty cute too.”

Now _this_ made Ignis stop in his desk cleaning task. Raising an eyebrow in a slightly shocked expression.

“… you don’t say.”

Really now? Really? Was she trying to help him get a pet-sitter… or get laid? Truth be told, few people around him knew he tended to prefer men over women; he didn’t even tell Luna, she just… happened to learn about it by some unfortunate circumstances. Shortly put, he… might have dated her brother once. Entirely on accident, he swore. She never took it wrong, quite the contrary; a week after that incident, she presented her girlfriend to him. _Girl_friend. Who would have thought gays attracted each other? That was a matter he would have to investigate with some calculations one day.

“I do say.” she mocked in a giggle. “Come on, I know you give your life to that job, but you need to unwind sometimes! Why don’t you just try?” And before he could answer to that, she had claimed one of his sticky notes. Writing a name, and a phone number on it. “There you go.” she offered it to him, looking very proud of herself. “Give him a call, at least? Put him to the test, and see for yourself?”

He hesitated for a second. This was a bad idea, to call a cute guy and invite him home, even for cat-sitting… and especially if things had any chance to go the way Lunafreya was hoping for. He didn’t need feelings sneaking back into his life. Feelings changed. Numbers stayed. He learnt that very early in his life…  
But… she wouldn’t relent until he took that note, would she. As lovely and gentle as she was, the girl could be incredibly stubborn when she decided to. Almost like… well, like himself.  
No wonder they got along so well.

“… alright, alright, you win.”

With a sigh not as annoyed as could have been, he snatched the piece of paper from her fingers and slipped it inside his breast pocket. It couldn’t hurt… he really needed someone to care for his cats, after all. The matter of his sentimental life was trivial. And none of Luna’s concern, first and foremost – he really had to remember that part.

“Perfect! You’ll tell me when you see him, right? Of course you will.” she flashed him a pure, radiant, and charming smile. “I’m counting on you, Ignis!”

Let him rephrase that: she definitely was _way_ more stubborn than him…  
And with the look she gave him all along, down the elevator, through the hall, and until their respective cars in the parking lot, he began slightly worrying about what the future could have in store.

* * *

For the umpteenth time, Noctis looked at the digits on his phone.  
His bank account. Down to two numbers. Two. ridiculous. numbers. How did he get there?? Ok, there was college tuition. Class books and material – art supplies were never cheap. The rent, which he shared with his best friend and roommate Prompto but that still made quite the sum. Oh, and subsistence costs, too.  
… he had the explanation right there, didn’t he.  
A long, annoyed and disheartened sigh punctuated that thought. Student life was so hard… He knew he had no other choice, he would have to work for money, but… but… _work_. He was more than ready to make whatever effort would be necessary, to ensure he stayed independent and could follow his dream. That was, after all, the condition his father set before he allowed him to ditch law studies in favor of arts. However, what Noctis didn’t consider at that time, was that almost every job he could apply to for a living, with zero experience to back up his résumé, implied a contact with people.  
Ugh… people.  
‘Asocial’ seemed a word made for him. Or ‘socially awkward’, as some put it to make it sound a bit less negative. He never trusted, never sought other’s company. In his eyes, every stranger was a potential nuisance, and unless he knew someone for years, like Prompto whom he met in primary school, he would always, always keep his distances. Keeping your distance was a protection. You couldn’t get hurt if you didn’t get involved in the first place.

“Woah, someone’s in a sour mood! Why the long face, dude?”

What better moment for the aforementioned roommate to walk in… Surely Prompto had an inner radar that always guaranteed he would have the _worst timing ever_. Noctis immediately closed the app, setting his phone face down onto the table to be absolutely sure the other wouldn’t see just how deep in shit he was.

“I-it’s nothing, just…” Quick, quick, he needed a lie, and a plausible one! “Just… worrying about that assignment for sketch class.” Yesss, good job brain.

The blond didn’t catch the bait though. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned over that table. Looking veeeery intently into Noctis’ eyes… so much so that the other felt the need to back away, face heating up to a telltale pink.

“W-what?”  
“Dude.” Prompto grinned, and poked his blushing cheek. “Fifteen years later, you’re still the worst liar I’ve ever met.”

He didn’t even wait for an answer; grabbing the opposite chair, he sat down, planted his elbows on the table and his chin in his palms. “So? What’s on your mind? I’m waiting~”

_‘And I could wait all day’…_ was what that face said. No running way from it huh? Compared to having that stare in him all day, confessing a delicate financial situation almost seemed like a relief honestly. So Noctis just went ahead and spilled it out. “Alright… look at that.”

The bank app was switched back on, the phone thrown into Prompto’s waiting hands. A moment of silence on the blond’s side… then a whistle, almost admirative.

“Oooookaaay… Man. That sucks.”  
“Geez, thank _you_ Captain Obvious!” With a huff, Noctis retrieved his phone, and glared at the screen. As if it could make these damn numbers feel ashamed and raise, for some reason. It didn’t work. “Rent’s due in a week, I’m not gonna make it…”

Which would have been less problematic if it didn’t put the two of them on the same sinking boat. Sharing a rent also meant that one not covering his part of the deal would condemn them both to homelessness. And the nights might be decently warm at this time of the year, Noctis did _not_ want to see himself and his best friend sleeping on park benches.

“Not necessarily.” Bless whatever god made Prompto so stupidly optimistic. Just what it took to balance the raven-haired one’s negative mind. “It’s not like you _can’t_ get a job. Actually, you _had_ a job a little 5 days ago, thanks to yours truly… and then _you_ blew it!”

Well, yeah, he did. But that was the worst job in the universe! How could anyone expect an asocial to work in retail, seriously?? The blond might be doing a damn good job at it, but he had the matching personality: outgoing, cheerful, always ready to help… Put him in line next to Noctis, gloom made man, who barely ever smiled in public and wore black hoping he would blend with the shadows enough to avoid having to socialize at all… and you’d know. It. couldn’t. work.

“You threw me unprepared into a fucking _fashion store_, Prom!” he exclaimed. “And at checkout, no less! You know that’s not for me!”  
“Ok, ok! My bad!” It was Prompto’s turn to sigh, throwing his hands up dramatically. “What about that pet-sitting thing you started then? Don’t tell me you’re shying away from animals too now?”

No, no he wasn’t, what a ridiculous idea. Animals would always be the creatures he trusted more in this world, the only ones able to get a genuine smile out of him. Aah… if only the whole planet could be inhabited by dogs, cats, horses, turtles… that would make things so much easier. Thus why he said just once, out loud, that he would gladly be a pet-sitter. And it didn’t fall upon deaf ears, apparently.

“I like it but… you know… it’s only fun once you’re there with the pets. Before that…” he made a face, “you have to talk with _the owners_.”

Yeah, no… between having to scout for interested people, and having to listen to them give you a long, never-ending list of things to do or not do and that he _knew damn well without the remainder, thank you_ – heck, he had been reading online articles on basically everything pet-related since he was five, he could even give CPR to a freaking hamster – it made him seriously reconsider going for that job line. Much like any other job line, in fact.

“Noct.” Prompto shook his head, seemingly discouraged. “You’re hopeless.”  
A huff. “Fuck you, Prom.”

The blond didn’t linger on the insult – years of friendship tended to make a ‘fuck you’ sound like ‘I love you’. Leaning back on his chair, he crossed his arms behind his head and hummed.

“Hmm, and that girl, the other day? The daaaaamn fine one. I thought everything went ok with her dogs? No second time?”

Ah yes, that blond lady… Lunafrena… or something? Maybe she looked fine, Noctis couldn’t really say. She was gentle though. They met by pure luck on the street. Prompto and him had been coming back from grocery shopping, first days of the month oblige, when they came across her and her two magnificent shiba inus, so beautiful and fluffy and… aah~ Noctis, of course, noticed the dogs first; Prompto, on the other hand, noticed both the dogs _and_ their owner, and in a matter of seconds he had dropped his bags to kneel down the furry creatures and pet the heck out of them, cooing and just so very naturally starting a conversation with the girl… Like, seriously, how did he always manage to do that? That was a mystery to the other boy.  
Anyway, one thing leading to another, the third party had been dragged into it despite himself. ‘Oh, I’m just looking for a pet-sitter’, ‘oh but my pal here loves animals, lemme give you his number’, yadda yadda, and a little two days later, Noctis had to visit her place and keep the dogs company all Saturday. The plus side, he could play and cuddle with them and get paid 100$ for it. And he didn’t even have to ask, Prompto got everything organized before he said a word! An ideal deal in an ideal world, for a change.  
However, he couldn’t count on his friend’s help all the time either… and the occasion didn’t show up again since then.

“It did go ok.” he admitted. “But I can’t, like… sit in front of her door all week and force her to hire me again, can I.” He _wished_ he could, but there were laws against that.

There was a reluctant nod on Prompto’s side. “Well, true, but she can always spread the word about you? I’m sure she was _delighted_ by your splendid performance there, and will tell aaaaall of her pet friends!”

Wouldn’t that be wonderful… _That’s real life though Prom, not the land of Care Bears where everything is just rainbows and butterflies._ Maybe he had a terribly dark vision of life, but Noctis never, ever, believed things would follow the best course. Most of the time, they just merely avoided crash. That was sadly a fact.

And he was just about to remark on that out loud… when the phone began ringing and vibrating in his hands. So suddenly that he nearly jumped out of his skin. A quick look at the screen informed him he didn’t know that number… huh, weird. As he kept staring, wondering who it could be for one… two seconds… Prompto exploded.

“Graaah just answer the damn call will you!!”

And without even asking, he stole the phone and tapped the green icon.

“Helloooo, yes who’s on the line?”

Noctis’ eyes went wide as saucers. Ohmygods did he really just picked up?? His usual inner panic began surfacing, and he desperately tried to get the phone back, making urging gestures for the other to hang up… to no avail. Not only was Prompto completely shameless when it came to sneaking into other people’s business, but he also had the evasion skills of a matador. Damn him!

“…oh, you’re looking for a pet-sitter?”

Wait… what? Did he just hear what he thought he just heard there or…?

“You got the perfect guy then!” Prompto continued, totally unfazed by his friend’s confused look. “Ah yeah no not me haha, but he’s riiight here, ok, I’ll pass the phone to him now bye!”

And despite Noctis waving really hard for him not to, the phone ended up thrown into his hands as Prompto ran away to the other side of the room, cackling hysterically.  
Shiiiit… shitshitshitshit, he… he really needed to say something now, didn’t he…?

“He… hello?”  
“Noctis?” How odd, to hear an unknown voice call you by your name… It sounded definitely masculine. Calm, collected; belonging to an adult who knew how to adult, no doubt about that. With a slightly velvety quality to it, too… enough for the student to lose his capacity to speak for a second.  
“A-ah, t-that’s me, hm... Sorry for… my friend here.”  
“No need apologizing. A friend of mine gave me your contact…” Woah, two miracles in the same day… Prompto guessed right! He was _so_ going to boast over it for weeks… “I have a long meeting planned on Friday and… I need someone at home to feed my cats and keep them occupied. If you would happen to be free on that day…?”  
“Uh, I…” A movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. Half hiding behind the bathroom door, Prompto was nodding so enthusiastically that his head almost looked like a blur. Oh well… money was needed… and one day couldn’t hurt? Plus, they had no class planned – none he would regret missing at least. “Y-yeah, I… think I am?”  
“Fantastic. I will see you at 7 on Friday then.”

And that was it. As simple as that. He had a job.  
With the call over, Noctis could only stare at his phone in disbelief. How surreal… how confusing… how… how…

“… who on earth still says ‘fantastic’?”


	2. First impressions matter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is slightly shorter than I first intended, but... somehow, I feel like adding to it might ruin the sorta-kinda decent balance it has ^^; sooo... the rest will have to wait until the next chapter. Stay tuned, guys!  
Hope you'll enjoy this awkward first meeting~

Late. He was _late_! _How the heckin’ heck did he manage to be late on such an important day??_

Noctis was cursing himself so vehemently in his head, he almost ran out of insults in the middle of it. And here he had been preparing everything so meticulously the previous evening! The clothes he wanted to wear – well, he only had t-shirts but… he chose a nice one at least –, the things he had to bring, the guy’s address received through text earlier… He had checked the route he needed to take, set his alarm early enough to shower and eat breakfast since he didn’t know if his employer of the day would leave something in the fridge, and even went as far as slipping an old Carbuncle plush from his childhood inside his bag, just in case the cats he had to watch over wanted to play and lacked in the toys department. Everything had been methodically thought through, up to the smallest details… except one thing that totally escaped his vigilance.

That _his fucking alarm wouldn’t ring_.

And for a very good reason: the battery of his phone died during the night. If _that_ wasn’t a sure sign that someone somewhere up in heavens held a personal grudge against him…  
Today was his last chance, too… the only way he found to get a little money for that approaching rent. The man proposed him even more than his lady friend, something along the lines of 150 bucks, and Noctis needed these, desperately so.  
He had to make it there and apologize!

So he ran across the streets… or rather, _limped_ across the streets. Yeah, life probably thought that alarm mishap wasn’t enough to fully ruin the day… because somehow he also managed to miss a step in the stairs leading to the subway, and 1) tear his favorite jeans, 2) scratch his knee, and 3) bump his head on said stupid stairs. 7-7-7, _ding_, jackpot: congrats, you got earth’s worst karma!  
For a second there he had to pause and just… wonder what he could have possibly done in a previous life to deserve this. Must have been something pretty bad. That, or the universe simply didn’t like him.

When he finally reached his destination, he was gasping for breath, and the various pains from his fall had taken a backseat, outshone by a serious stitch in his side. Not surprising… he hadn’t run like that in ages. Say what again? “Exercising is good for the health”? _Bullshit_. Taking a second to compose himself, he looked at the time. 7:20… twenty minutes late. Ok. Now he hated himself even more. The guy would never hire him again, he was sure of it… heck, even _he_ wouldn’t hire himself.

Well, he came all this way… better ring that intercom, he figured. Breathe in… breathe out… Alright, good to go. He pressed the button next to the man’s name, and waited anxiously for the sound of someone picking up.

“Erm, h-hi? It’s me, Noctis, hm I… I’m sorry, I…”

Not a single sound, not a single word on the other side. Just a long, deafening silence, dripping with untold reproaches… and then, the click of the door next to him opening.  
The tiny hope he still nurtured of maybe gaining his employer’s forgiveness died there, with that click.  
At that point, part of him – a big part – seriously considered giving up and going back home. With every intention of curling up in his bed and spending the day wallowing in self-pity. With a slice of cold pizza. Cold pizza always seemed to go well with that planning. But… that wouldn’t solve his problems. And he wouldn’t get to see the cats, which was, after the money, the reason he accepted in the first place.  
And he didn’t have cold pizza at home either anyway.  
That sorted it. He had to try, at least…

Then he would wallow. A lot.

Without the stress urging him onward so far, Noctis might have gawked at how luxurious the whole building looked like. Tall, sophisticated, its peak seemed to reach for the sky, its silhouette towering over the beautiful garden surrounding it, planted with cherry- and plum-blossom trees that had just started exposing their flowers to the passerby’s eyes. All things that said: yes, the people living here had a well-filled wallet.

He didn’t notice a damn thing though… before finding himself in the entrance hall. There, the realization began to sink in. Slowly at first… then alarmingly fast as panic pushed behind.  
Plants and flowers decorated the whole place, arranged in pricey stone-made boxes of various sizes and heights. Orange, red and yellow, of varieties he didn’t know but definitely exotic-looking. Nothing like the three ridiculously small geraniums decorating the door to his own building. And mirrors… mirrors everywhere! On the wall across the fancy letterboxes, in various round shapes above the plants… even the floor sparkled so much he could see himself in it! Damn, the cleaning fees here probably cost around his whole rent… That seemed crazy. Otherworldly even. Some people traveled up to the other side of the Globe to explore unknown territories, but now, Noctis realized, exoticism could await one just on the other side of their hometown.

_What kind of bizarre universe did I just step into…?_ He almost felt like that Alice girl in Lewis Carroll’s books.

A brief moment of hesitation paralyzed him before pressing the button on the elevator. As if somehow the contact of a proletarian over such a beautiful, pristine object, could be a legally condemned crime. Then again, the man lived on the 19th floor and Noctis had no intention of suffering through all these stairs in his state – nor in any state, to be honest. Once inside the shaft though, he was extra cautious; no touching anything unless necessary. He even went as far as wiping the floor button clean with his t-shirt after pressing it, just to make sure he wasn’t leaving any dirty fingerprints. The mechanical doors closed behind him with such a soft sound he had to listen intently to catch it, and the elevator began its ascension… without the boy feeling anything. Only the changing digits over the control panel told him it worked. Wow. That must have been the Rolls-Royce of elevators.

That was it… no turning back now. He was probably bound for the scolding of a life-time up there…  
Maybe continuing hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

A quick look at the mirror decorating the back of that elevator only comforted him in that thought; he looked like… a mess, shortly put. A very discernible lump, slowly turning blue, marked his forehead above the left eye. His clothes had more wrinkles than a century-old grandma, and that hole in his jeans looked totally _not_ like a stylish, willingly-made one – even less with the bloody knee one could spot behind. And with all that running, the indecent amount of gel he always styled his hair with hadn’t been sufficient to prevent the dark locks from getting awfully tousled…

Forget about making a good first impression; now he just hoped the guy wouldn’t kick him out thinking he was a hobo. He looked as misplaced here as a badger in the White House.

That worry began to settle down, first in his throat, then down his guts, where it began practicing all kind of nervous knots. By the time the elevator stopped at the required floor, Noctis wanted nothing more than to vanish from the surface of earth. Alas, no such grace would be bestowed upon him… Instead, he dragged himself to the opposite door. Adjusted the straps of his backpack. Dusted his t-shirt halfheartedly. And bracing himself as best he could… he rang the bell.

_If I have to die here please make it quick and painless and let me see the cats first, amen._

* * *

Late. He was _late_! Did Ignis already mention how much he _hated_ any lack of punctuality? No? Well, let him say it now, loud and clear: _he. hated. that. _More than anything in the world.

Fuming inside, he kept pacing all over the apartment in long, angry strides. He didn’t know what infuriated him more, the fact that the boy wasn’t there, or that it would ultimately make _him_ late too. Probably both. Years of perfect attendance, every single day, and it had to be ruined in such a stupid way, not even by his own fault… Hah! Trust on strangers! The other pet-sitters had their faults, true, but at least they all had a sense of _timing_.  
_That’s what you get for trusting Lunafreya’s words and letting it get to you…_ Because yes, despite himself, he had been wondering. How that guy would be, if his friend had the right opinion about him… if something could really happen between them… Foolishness. He should have stood his ground. Loneliness had a lot of advantages, and he was most certainly fit for a single life anyway. When you lived alone, no one else could impact your precious schedule.

A sigh of barely contained annoyance echoed in the empty apartment, as he came to a sudden halt in the living room, trying to calm his boiling nerves. He had no other option today; as much as he felt reluctant to admit it, that was the sad truth. Today promised to be the longest day of the week, and that upcoming meeting could last way beyond his usual leaving time, since decisions had to be made and no one liked to rush a decision… much less when it could involve firing people. Oh, some of the higher-ups wouldn’t hesitate; strangely, as long as it wasn’t their position being threatened, they didn’t seem to care much. At any rate, it wouldn’t depend on Ignis. He had his calculations to present, he could make a couple suggestions, but in the end his opinion stayed irrelevant. He was a man of numbers. Nothing more. ….or so he tried to convince himself, at least.

Goodness, this week sure had been an emotional one all along…

A soft, elegant mew on his left brought him back to reality, and he turned to smile at the cat.

“Shiva…”

The willowy Bengal, with her lovely snow mink fur, trotted on the console table to press her head against her human. She always tended to do that when she felt something troubling him… of all three cats, she was the most affectionate one – though her refined tastes and sometimes bitchy nature made her difficult to deal with.

“At least you guys won’t be on your lonesome today.” he scratched behind her ears, and sighed again, “Punctuality is one thing… but I sure hope that boy will treat you right.”

Further in the room, Ramuh, the silver tabby Maine Coon, gave a dispassionate ‘mrow’ from the couch. This old boy was the easiest of the lot; except to eat, he rarely left his napping spot. No one ever complained about him.  
No… most complains issued concerned Ifrit, the ruddy Abyssinian. The third child of Ignis’ furry family, who currently was nowhere to be seen. Whenever he felt something odd, his first reaction had always been to run away and hide; if Ignis looked for him, he would probably find him crouching under the bed, or behind the kitchen counter, or inside the cupboard behind piles of old clothes. A true asocial. He wouldn’t let anyone pet him either, not even his owner when he decided it would be a ‘nope’ day. Five behavior therapies later, he still stayed a feline mystery…  
With three personalities that different to handle at the same time... well, Ignis had to admit, he understood why the pet-sitters never wanted to come twice. Part of him had wanted to hope that this one would. But. There would be no second time with him either, obviously.

Why were people so… disappointing.

Just when that thought came to him, the intercom rang in response. Finally! Twenty minutes off schedule… He tried to keep his anger at bay as he answered the call, hearing a youthful voice on the other side trying to apologize. Which was nice… but wouldn’t turn back time. Thus, Ignis said nothing, only opening the door and hanging up. He wasn’t the kind of person to shout pointlessly through a telephonic line; if he had some admonishing to do, he would do it face-to-face, firmly yet calmly. The gentleman’s way.

So he composed himself. Straightened his already perfect attire. Put up a stern expression. And when the doorbell chimed, he opened with a dramatically swift gesture, ready to offer one of his best lectures.

“You’re la-”

And that was it. His sentence ended there. All of his well-prepared speech vanishing from his mind as soon as he laid eyes on the dark-haired boy standing there. His first thought being that yes, Lunafreya _was_ entirely right when she called him cute. The second… that the very noticeable bump on the guy’s forehead definitely couldn’t be part of the initial plan.  
Slowly, he took in the student’s appearance. Noticing his chaotic looks, the blood on his knee… then up his eyes went to meet wide, slightly panicked blue orbs. Most similar to a deer caught in headlights.  
He looked lost. He looked terrified. And he looked… he looked…  
_Freaking damn cute, what the hell??_

“Ah, erm Mr. Scientia? Sorry, I… I know I’m late, I didn’t mean to, it just…”

There went the rest of Ignis’ anger, melting entirely like an ice cream in the sun. Swept away by that very, very unfairly sweet stuttering…

Time seemed to suspend its flight for a second. Then Ignis realized he still had his mouth gaping with all the words he would never say, and he shook himself up belatedly. Stepping aside to invite the boy in.

“… come on in, Noctis.”

The cat-sitter froze in hesitation. Briefly looking past Ignis, as if trying to determine if complying would be a good idea or not. Nervously, his fingers went to fiddle with his backpack straps.

“You… you’re not kicking me out?” he sounded more than a little baffled. Apparently, in his head, things were supposed to go really wrong.

‘A bit shy’, Luna said… These few seconds were enough for Ignis to believe her. The thing was, she might know how to handle this kind of personality with her natural talent… but he didn’t. He had _absolutely_ no clue. Sure, he wanted to make the boy feel comfortable, but his severe expression, born from all that anxious waiting, seemed etched on his face and he couldn’t seem to erase it. His whole attitude screamed of tension and displeasure. He needed to relax… smile maybe? Wasn’t that what civilized people do when meeting for the first time? A way to break the ice… and gods, did they need to. Or else they… probably were just going to stand there all day, staring at each other, waiting for something to happen, and…

_Zwoosh._

… and something did happen?? Suddenly, a ball of brownish fur bolted past him at top speed, scurrying away into the corridor. Ignis didn’t even have to think about it, he just _knew_ who that was.

“_Ifrit!!_”

Curse that cat…! Of course he had to make good use of that open door and try running away. Again. That must have been his favorite sport. Ignis wanted to punch himself in the face; how could he be stupid enough to let it come to this! Panicking inside, he was ready to run after that little devil of a cat… but. The boy was quicker than him.

“Ah, c’mere, you!”

Noctis’ sneakers made a squeaky noise on the perfectly waxed floor as he spun on his heels to tackle the feline. It all went so fact, Ignis could barely react, but as he saw the young man’s hands seize the animal, his panic shot up a big notch. Oh no… Ifrit wasn’t the nicest of cats, and with people he didn’t know he could be downright fiendish… That poor boy was going to get scratched to pieces!

“No don’t do that!!” he shouted. “You-”

Hold on… nothing came? No hissing, not a menacing meow, not a single claw coming out… nothing. Ifrit simply let himself get lifted into the student’s arms, and settled there, giving his owner a detached look.

Well… That was a shocking first.

“Hm?” Head tilted in confusion, Noctis walked back calmly with the cat. Even going as far as scratching behind his ears. And Ifrit _purred!_ What kind of miracle was that?? “E-excuse-me, what were you saying?”

“Ah…” Ignis felt like an idiot. He lived with that cat, for god’s sake, he should know how to handle it. And yet he imagined the worse, while that kid here, he… he… had the perfect reaction. Damn. “Well he…” he began, slowly getting his brain cells to work again after that mind-blowing moment, “Ifrit tends to get violent, and I thought… I mean, he scratches everyone. Except you apparently?”

To which Noctis gave a disarmingly innocent smile.

“Hehe, yeah apparently?”

That was the precise moment when every single plan neatly prepared inside Ignis’ head came tumbling down like a house of cards.

Forget about everything he said. That boy was here to stay.


End file.
